Daleth - Door, Guide

Introduction

Hosea 2:15 “And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.”

The symbol Daleth was seen to represent the frame of the door. As such, it speaks of decisions, and of the importance of divine guidance in making them. Far too often we live our lives without seeking God’s guidance, and we suffer the consequences of bad decisions. The best way to have the guiding hand of God on our lives is to live day-by-day in close communion with Him. If we neglect His fellowship over a period of time, it will most likely do no good to cry for guidance in a time of crisis. The Lord warns us of this:

Proverbs 1:24–27 “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.”

Daleth - Psalm 119:25-32 The LORD is my Guide

Quicken - (vv.25-26) Our souls must be “awakened, revived” before we will seek divine guidance from the Lord. When our “soul cleaves unto the dust” we need to be able to acknowledge this and declare our ways. Spiritual faintness is not final if we are willing to recover. Spiritual revival follows acknowledgement of need. Only those who hunger and thirst will be filled.

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

For nourishment and direction we must admit when we lose our way. Revival comes through teaching.

2. Strengthen - (vv.27-28) This word means to “stabilize or establish.” In our decision-making process, we are often tentative, unsure, and hesitate. We need the stability that comes only “according to God’s Word.” How many lives have been spared disappointment and shame because the crossroads encountered were met with prayer and searching of the Scriptures? And how many lives have been plunged into years of misery due to hasty decisions made without benefit of the guidance of God?

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

3. Chosen - (vv.29-32) We make decisions everyday. The power to choose is the greatest power given by God to men.

Joshua 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua chose the way of truth and the testimony of the Lord. We can predicate our future by the kind of decisions we make. Seemingly small and insignificant decisions on a daily basis are the building blocks of a life of rich blessing or great misery. The captive can anticipate his future (v.32) based on his decision to exalt God’s Word to its rightful place of life.

New Testament Confirmation

Steadfastness - We are called to be single-minded and focused on our Saviour.

James 4:8–9 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.”

Sufficient - Our spiritual strength is found in our Saviour. In our weakness we are made strong through Him.

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Security - Trusting Jesus is life’s greatest decision.

John 10:9 “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”